Watson's Daily

Thursday 10/10/19

In TECH NEWS, the OECD targets tech giants on tax, Apple annoys China and Twitter misuses data. In RETAIL/CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, LVMH shines, Tilbury sparks takeover rumours, Hays Travel buys Thomas Cook stores, BT announces high street revamp and Links…

Wednesday 09/10/19

In MACRO NEWS, the Brexit drama rumbles on while UK productivity worsens. In TELECOMS NEWS, Arqiva makes a £2bn sale and Vodafone axes 1,000 stores. In TECH NEWS, Samsung beats forecasts while Tesla/Panasonic relations get strained on batteries. In INDIVIDUAL…

Tuesday 08/10/19

In BREXIT NEWS, we look at BoJo's options and the effect of Brexit concerns on retailers, property and jobs. In HIGH STREET NEWS, Pizza Express looks dodgy and Sports Direct denies it'll close almost all House of Frasers. In CAR…

Monday 07/10/19

In MACRO & MARKETS NEWS, French pension reforms get a rough ride and the IPO market takes stock after the WeWork debacle. In BANKS NEWS, HSBC plans to cut 10,000 jobs and digital banks fight to compete. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS,…

Thursday 03/10/19

In MACRO & MARKETS NEWS, BoJo's Brexit journey continues, US gets the go-ahead to slap the EU with big taxes and markets take a tumble. In TECH NEWS, Facebook remains defiant about Libra, Microsoft gets back into mobile phones with…

Wednesday 02/10/19

In MACRO NEWS, BoJo considers three Brexit scenarios and UK manufacturers stockpile. In RETAIL & CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, John Lewis cuts deep, M&S fiddles about, Ikea targets smart home tech, Amazon expands grocery stores, Rip Curl gets sold and luxury…

Tuesday 01/10/19

In MACRO, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, European joblessness hits new lows, BoJo continues the search for a deal, UK consumer spending buoys the economy, Shanghai Star loses is lustre and Saudi Arabia tries to sweeten the Aramco deal. In FIN/TECH…

Monday 30/09/19

In INDUSTRY NEWS, shale oil production plateaus and UK challenger banks fade. In RETAIL NEWS, Barneys attracts buyer interest, Forever 21 files for bankruptcy, Miss Selfridge posts a loss, Ted Baker looks like it will ask for money, Mamas &…

Friday 27/09/19

In INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING NEWS, Peloton's debut frightens off Endeavour. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, McKinsey starts up a mall, vacant shops in the UK hit new highs and the costs of Thomas Cook become clearer. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, Juul and…

Thursday 26/09/19

In TECH NEWS, South Korean tech firms benefit from the spat with Japan, Nintendo releases Mario Kart app, eBay's boss resigns and Amazon does wearables. In TRANSPORT-RELATED NEWS, UK car production hits new lows, Aston Martin's debt gets more expensive…

Wednesday 25/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, BoJo faces parliamentary ire, Trump faces another impeachment attempt and India implements a big tax cut. In HIGH STREET NEWS, Tui cracks on, M&S lose yet another senior exec and Metro Bank looks vulnerable. In CAR NEWS,…

Tuesday 24/09/19

In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, I give you more on Thomas Cook - the why, the winners and losers and why liquidation and not administration, Juul's (and vaping's) worsening nightmare and Google's game service. In CAR NEWS, Hyundai & Aptiv embark…

Monday 23/09/19

In RETAIL NEWS, Thomas Cook goes into administration and Ikea eyes a big China expansion. In FOOD-RELATED NEWS, sandwich supremo Greencore diversifies and Meatless Farm gets a C4 investment. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, SoftBank looks to oust WeWork's CEO and…

Friday 20/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, the European Commission raises hopes of a Brexit deal and UK interest rates remain unchanged. In RETAIL NEWS, UK retail sales fall in August, Debenhams brushes Ashley aside and Next's sales slow. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, E-cigarettes…

Thursday 19/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, the Fed cuts US interest rates, Japanese exports continue to drop, UK inflation falls and house price rises slow. In TECH NEWS, Facebook announces Portal TV while smart TVs send out your data. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS,…

Wednesday 18/09/19

In MACRO, OIL AND TRADE NEWS, Spain heads for another election, Italy's ex-PM makes a breakaway party, the Netherlands rolls out economic stimulus, the oil price falls and Vietnam continues to benefit from China deserters. In HIGH STREET NEWS, French…

Tuesday 17/09/19

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, China's industrial growth slows, BoJo annoys Luxembourgers and oil prices shoot up. In VEHICLE-RELATED NEWS, Ineos announces car production in Bridgend and Arrival opens a new electric van factory. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, WeWork's IPO…

Monday 16/09/19

In OIL & CRYPTO NEWS, Saudi Arabia's production takes a major hit and Facebook faces questions on Libra. In HIGH STREET NEWS, restaurants continue to close, Thomas Cook gets a stay of execution and HMV's new owner tries new tricks.…

Friday 13/09/19

In MACRO & CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS, the ECB stimulates, Germany teeters and France says "non" to Libra. In RETAIL NEWS, Topshop suffers, Old Navy outlines expansion plans, Morrisons gets closer to Amazon, supermarkets mull Brexit actions and John Lewis has a…

Thursday 12/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, Trump urges the Fed to take interest rates to zero while tariffs on both sides of the US-China divide relent slightly and Scotland says no. In RETAIL NEWS, Zara benefits from a polka-dot dress, Forever 21 files…

Wednesday 11/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, Spain faces yet another election while UK jobs and pay increase. In MANUFACTURING NEWS, EDF faces a nuclear problem and VW and Land Rover unveil important new models. In TECH NEWS, Vestager gets a second term, Jack…

Tuesday 10/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, Putin's party loses a lot of ground, UK recession fears recede and BoJo fails again. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, PPI claims hit £50bn, US retailers abandon Chinese suppliers and Primark suffers margin pressure. In AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, India sales…

Monday 09/09/19

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, tariff wars hit both the US and China, we look at the latest situation facing BoJo and Saudi's royals tighten their grip. In RETAIL/CONSUMER NEWS, UK footfall drops, we see the challenges at M&S, Premier…

Friday 06/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, the US and China agree to resume trade talks and BoJo's difficulties continue. In TECH NEWS, Facebook moves into dating and Samsung relaunches its folding phone. In RETAIL NEWS, it's all good for Lululemon and Boohoo, less…

Thursday 05/09/19

In TECH NEWS, Google and YouTube get fined, Google is accused of dodgy dealings in data, Slack takes a hit, Apple talks about a cheaper iPhone and Amazon experiments with hand recognition. In MACRO NEWS, Hong Kong markets get a…

Wednesday 04/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, BoJo loses, UK construction hits a new low and HS2 faces big delays whilst over in Europe, Germany continues to look vulnerable, Italy manages a coalition and Spain tries to avoid an election. Elsewhere, weaker US manufacturing…

Tuesday 03/09/19

In MACRO & CURRENCY NEWS, BoJo issues an ultamatum, we see what Labour's economic pledges cost, UK factory output slows right down and Libra gets no love from the ECB. In RETAIL NEWS, pleas increase to save the UK high…

Monday 02/09/19

In MACRO NEWS, more US tariffs irk the Chinese and dent small US firms while Hong Kong braces itself for a general strike and in the UK, we look at the impact of a no-deal Brexit and the potential impact…

Friday 30/08/19

In MACRO & ECONOMIC INDICATOR NEWS, US growth wobbles on the trade war, Boris Johnson tries to head off opposition and Ukraine gets a new young PM while UK consumer spending looks vulnerable and Hays rejigs its business. In TECH…

Thursday 29/08/19

In BREXIT NEWS, BoJo makes a bold move - and we look at the reaction. In RETAIL, RESTAURANT AND BLING NEWS, Guess shrugs off tariffs, Tiffany suffers from HK protests, Ted Baker signs a deal in Japan, WH Smith does…

Wednesday 28/08/19

In M&A NEWS, Philip Morris and Altria consider reuniting, BP sells Alaska operations to concentrate on shale and Harry Ramsden's gets swallowed up. In RETAIL NEWS, CostCo opens in China, UK shop prices fall and Arcadia shuts US stores. In…

Tuesday 27/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, Trump looks to meet Iran and makes positive noises about China while Germany continues to wobble, the UK services sector takes a beating and Indonesia plans to move its capital city. In RETAIL NEWS, the UK high…

Friday 23/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, POLITICAL NEWS. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, Hasbro buys Peppa for $4bn, e-cigarette companies get called in and NMC Health stuns short-sellers. In RETAIL NEWS, UK high street sales drop like a stone, Laura Ashley disappoints, Links goes…

Thursday 22/08/19

In RETAIL NEWS, Target hits the spot, Lowe's goes higher, Nordstrom disappoints and Tesco's pledges a packaging crackdown. In TECH NEWS, Alibaba pulls its Hong Kong listing, Waymo shares data and Libra gets the EU treatment. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS,…

Wednesday 21/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, Italy's PM resigns, Trump mulls measures to avert slowdown and UK factory orders turn a corner. In RETAIL NEWS, Home Depot goes downbeat, Walmart sues Tesla, Shopify aims for Amazon, Lidl and Sainsbury's make strides and Asos…

Tuesday 20/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, Japan's exports fall, Germany edges closer to recession and Brit consumers get downbeat. In TECH NEWS, Big Tech faces Big Investigation, Huawei gets a reprieve, Baidu has a shocker and Waymo abandons car manufacturing. In MERGER &…

Thursday 15/08/19

In MARKETS & MACRO NEWS, markets weaken on recession fears, French unemployment falls and Italy's in a pickle. In CONSUMER & RETAIL NEWS, UK inflation rises while house prices in the south fall, Lookers sees its profits falling dramatically, Sports…

Wednesday 14/08/19

In MACRO, TRADE & OIL NEWS, US CPI strengthens, UK wage growth hits new highs, US/China trade tensions ease, Japan/South Korea trade suffers, ExxonMobil looks to offload North Sea assets and US shale gets buffeted. In RETAIL NEWS, Steinhoff aims…

Tuesday 13/08/19

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Argentina's peso falls 30% on Macri concerns and Saudi Aramco makes a big Indian investment. In CAR NEWS,hybrids fall out of favour for some makers and India's electric car industry gets a jolt. In RETAIL…

Monday 12/08/19

In AUTO MAKER NEWS, China goes international and Tesla continues to disappoint owners. In UK RETAIL NEWS, the number of empty shops increases, Sports Direct aims to go "upmarket" and Asda's fridges help to keep us warm this winter. In…

Friday 09/08/19

In RIDE-HAILING NEWS, Lyft prospers while Uber has a 'mare. In STREAMING/ONLINE NEWS, UK consumers push through the £100m a week barrier on digital entertainment services, the esports market continues to boom and Roku punches above its weight. In INDIVIDUAL…

Thursday 08/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, German recession fears rise, Japan-Korea relations worsen and gold hits a new high while UK house price growth falls and wages rise. In RETAIL NEWS, Walgreens cuts 200 pharmacies and Debenhams gets the doctor in. In INDIVIDUAL…

Wednesday 07/08/19

In MEDIA & INTERNET NEWS, Tencent is in talks to buy 10% of Universal Music, Disney gets weighed down by Fox and Match Group outperforms. In HEAVY INDUSTRY NEWS, shipbuilding gets feisty, Glencore halts cobalt production and Sirius' mine plan…

Tuesday 06/08/19

In MARKET, CURRENCY & MACRO NEWS, US-China developments cause a kerfuffle, Facebook's Libra gets ganged up on and a weaker £ helps the UK services industry. In RETAIL/CONSUMER NEWS, UK retail sales and car sales dive, the M&S/Ocado rationale is…

Monday 05/08/19

In RETAIL NEWS, US retailers shed jobs and Sports Direct gets closer to Jack Wills. In LEISURE-RELATED NEWS, Disney closes in on channel launch and Netflix is accused of falsifying figures. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, FiatChrysler relies on Jeep, KKR…

Friday 02/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, Trump hits more Chinese goods with a 10% tariff, Asian manufacturing suffers, Japan/Korea relations are about to get worse and the Bank of England leaves the interest rate unchanged. In FINANCIALS-RELATED NEWS, LSE buys Refinitiv, Barclays raises…

Thursday 01/08/19

In MACRO NEWS, the Fed cut interest rates, but not by as much as everyone was hoping. In TECH NEWS, Alphabet overtakes Apple, Spotify disappoints and TikTok runs into India trouble. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Next bucks the gloom but Intu…

Wednesday 31/07/19

In MARKETS & CURRENCY NEWS, markets wobble as Trump chastises China and the pound hits record lows. In TECH-RELATED NEWS, Huawei sales defy the US ban, Apple sees strong revenues, Samsung's nightmare continues and the Grindr IPO gets back on…

Tuesday 30/07/19

In M&A NEWS, the Pfizer/Mylan deal goes official, the Just Eat/Takeaway.com merger delivers excitement and the LSE/Refinitiv deal puts LSE back into play. In UK HIGH STREET NEWS, Grant Thornton quits as Sports Direct's auditor while falling rents on retail/commercial…

Monday 29/07/19

In MACRO NEWS, the UK jobs market continues to look buoyant despite Brexit uncertainty. In MERGER & ACQUISITION NEWS, the amount of merger activity increases with LSE, Just Eat and Pfizer currently mulling moves. In UK RETAIL NEWS, Sports Direct…

Friday 26/07/19

In MACRO NEWS, the ECB announces stimulus, Germany weakens, Spain's PM loses the vote and South Korea's economy rebounds. In TECH NEWS, Amazon's winning streak ends, Google's continues and Apple buys into smartphone modems. In HIGH STREET NEWS, the UK…

Thursday 25/07/19

In TRADE & INVESTMENT NEWS, Hyundai Heavy Industries warns of the US-China trade war impact and tensions increase between South Korea and Japan while investors pile in to Vietnam. In CAR NEWS, Nissan cuts 9% of its workforce, Aston Martin…

Wednesday 24/07/19

In POLITICAL NEWS & TRADING IDEAS, Spain's PM Sanchez faces a tricky time and we look at industries who might benefit from BoJo as PM and the hot weather. In SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS, Facebook takes its medicine and Snap posts…

Tuesday 23/07/19

In MARKETS & OIL NEWS, China's "Nasdaq" has a stellar debut and the oil price says "meh" to Iranian actions. In TECH NEWS, Equifax pays a big settlement for a data breach, China's ByteDance builds an Indian data centre and…